187

REVIEW
Few films about teachers have been as downbeat and hopeless as 187, a determined, single-minded drama which casts a sad light on lower-class, urban education. Written by Scott Yagemann, a L.A. teacher for seven years, 187 (which is the police code for murder) has the cynicism and regret which must plague even the most dedicated educator who is forced to work under the conditions suffered by Trevor Garfield (Jackson), a committed science teacher who is almost fatally stabbed by a student in a New York high school and who moves to Los Angeles to start over. But he is not greeted by smiling faces; there is no to sir with love here. This is a group of students long forgotten by the system and who have given up on themselves. Jackson gives a tremendous portrayal of a man both in love with and fearful of his job, a good teacher possibly pushed too far. This is difficult medicine to digest, and the film's ending may take too many liberties, but the loss of passion and innocence is movingly told.